As the summer of 2020 draws to close, our team has learned an incredible amount of helpful information, skills, and tactics for dealing with the massive changes we’ve seen in our professional and personal lives due to the upheaval and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine. Now our team would like to share some of the things we’ve learned with you, so that you might be better prepared as we enter into this next phase of working while dealing with a worldwide crisis. Advanced Hires as a whole has been able to keep our heads above water, and we were even recognized as award-winners for being able to Pivot Not Panic when COVID threw new challenges our way.
We asked our employees to write a few thoughts, tips, and tricks they used during quarantine that they would want to share with other professionals that they believed might help them. The responses we got were so thorough and well-thought out, we decided to create a new series! Today are some suggestions from Senior IT Recruiter Vicki Johnson:
“Since COVID and the change to WFH and the way things are now, I have learned quite a few things. A big one for me was that it’s helpful for me to still get up in the morning and get ready for the day like I would going to the office. I have spoken to a lot of friends who also work from home and they talk about how they get up last minute and get on their computer and start working in their pajamas. If you want to do that every once and a while, fine, that’s part of the fun and flexibility of working from home, but if it becomes a habit motivation dwindles. I have noticed that getting up early, showering and eating breakfast early actually has me working earlier than when I came to the office. The time it took for me to get there, get settled, and talk to everyone always took a chunk of the morning away.
I also now take advantage of being able to be more creative with my workouts and do more. I tend to stop work mid-day and go for a nice long walk. I have created workouts outdoors and enjoyed being outside more than I ever would have being at the office. Life for the average American is hectic and most people feel they struggle to find work-life balance. That is what I most love now with being able to work from home. I do see that there are struggles as well though. I think creating a routine that you can follow is extremely helpful and allows you to really make the most of working from home. That way you can incorporate in a few of those things that you enjoy being able to get done at home while also keeping your work day flow intact. For example, a lot of people say they like being able to do their laundry or get dinner going earlier. Make a routine that you throw your laundry in certain days first thing in the morning after you get up and then take it out and get it all folded and put away at lunch. Or for dinner, you can start your day a little earlier and let your boss know each day you want to call it quits a little earlier to get dinner going for your family.
“I think creating a routine that you can follow is extremely helpful and allows you to really make the most of working from home.”
Working from home can definitely add flexibility into your day. You just need to remember to plan it into your day and communicate with your team what that plan is. Remember that being home means you can be even more productive with your life, so create a routine that maximizes it and you will feel positive and good. Right now people are starting to feel down and are having a hard time feeling motivated because they are not using this time to maximize their days and give themselves something to feel good about.
Communication, balance, and routine really makes this current opportunity for people work for them and allows them to have great work/home life balance.”
